Yohannes Tesfaye abandoned traditional figurative painting early on in his career. Classically trained at the Addis Ababa University of Fine Arts, Yohannes assimilated the techniques and explored the subject matter with scholarly discipline, but his own vision was maturing just below the surface.

After completing his studies, Yohannes broke free. The release from academic strictures is palpable in his work. His responsibilities fulfilled, he returned to the unforgotten ecstasy he felt making art as a child. His experiments with color, materials, and techniques are a joy to the viewer, who is easily drawn in by the unaffected honesty of the approach. One can let go of the intellectual baggage that is the burden of the adult and enjoy the work as you know the artist enjoyed making it.

Yohannes has produced a prodigious body of work, and there is no indication that he has reached his stride.  The occasional familiar object incorporated into the paintings can ground you for a moment, but then the unfettered exhuberance of the work spins you onto a new plane of perception. The paintings themselves are escaping the geometry. Yohannes has so much to say, and he is having way too much fun saying it.

Please click here to see Yohannes' Resume